Gears of War: Reloaded (PS5) Review
I can’t believe it’s been nearly 20 years since the launch of the original Gears of War. The embodiment of mid-2000s gaming, Gears of War revolutionized the cover shooter genre, delivering both a narrative and gameplay loop that was unrelenting. Since then, many have tried to emulate that same magic that sank its claws into us, but few have even come close to garnering a similar appeal. Hell, the Gears of War series itself stagnated after the third entry, eventually becoming a shell of what it once was.
For this reason, I went into Gears of War: Reloaded fearful of whether it would be made to feel more in line with modern shooters. Surely, The Coalition, developer of Reloaded, would ensure players vying for a nostalgic trip down memory lane wouldn’t be subjected to an overly-baked rendition of the original Gears of War – the one that’s often cited as the pinnacle of the genre, right?
The Right Kind of Remaster
Well, my fears were misplaced. Gears of War: Reloaded is exactly the kind of remaster that fans of the series have been waiting for. With that said, my time with Reloaded also hammered home the old adage that you should be careful what you wish for. Admittedly, there are a few things I would have preferred were modernized this time around, but for better and for worse, this is the classic Gears of War experience that I remember from two decades ago.
Gears of War: Reloaded undoubtedly looks the part. Environments are the star of the show. Every nook and cranny of each level and map is gorgeous, offering a higher level of detail in everything from a pile of debris to the wet walls of an underground layer. New lighting accentuates the world and genuinely pops the atmosphere without altering the grim feeling that Gears of War is known for. And the gore effects are every bit as impressive as they were the first time around. Gears of War is at its best when players are knee deep in a landfill of red, chunky goodness, and Reloaded offers that by the boatload.
Duck for Cover
If you’ve played Gears of War in the past, you know that it revolves around popping in and out of cover. Reloaded still feels as good in this regard as ever. It’s snappy and responsive, perfectly capturing the original’s essence. Though one issue I found with the remaster is that it lacks the ability to remap controls. Hitting a face button to get into cover works fine, but tying the same button to the sprint feels archaic. In addition, the second or so that it takes to initiate a sprint feels like the product of a bygone era. The chainsaw, as well, takes more time than I’d like to start. This led to some frustrating moments where I was left standing next to an enemy instead of sawing them in half.
A lot of the dialogue and voice acting hasn’t aged particularly well, either. Our boy, Marcus, still sounds every bit as gruff and intimidating as I’d hoped. But a lot of the supporting cast feels stiff and robotic. Not that I expected voiceover work to be redone, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Reloaded is full of moments that reminded me that I was playing an updated version of a 20-year-old game. Many of the character models you’ll come across also suffer from a lack of polish. The main squad looks great. Enemies look the part. But everyone else has a mannequin-esque vibe to them that doesn’t quite live up to the rest of Reloaded’s visual enhancements.
Multiplayer Madness
I know many players won’t be too bothered by the campaign’s shortcomings. It’s still a ton of fun, whether you’re playing solo or co-op. But for those who are, Reloaded’s multiplayer might make up for it. It’s as enjoyable as it’s ever been, while nailing a gorgeous 120 fps. For my money, Reloaded is now the definitive way to play Gears of War online. Plus, with crossplay, I expect it to be popular for years to come.
Sure, Gears of War: Reloaded shows its age. But that was inevitable. This is by no means a remake. Rather, it’s a solid remaster that updates a classic experience just enough to bring it into the modern world. I wish we had the ability to remap controls, but overall, Reloaded did an excellent job of scratching a nostalgic itch I didn’t even know I had. If there are plans to remaster Gears 2 and 3, I’ll be there, Lancer in hand.
***A PS5 code was provided for this review***
The Good
Classic Gears fun
Visual enhancements
Excellent multiplayer
85
The Bad
Can’t remap controls
Some weak character models
Shows its age